Burning, Falling
by Epicocity
Summary: Oneshot. The forest fire had started with but a single spark, but the grief raged inside him like an inferno.


**This is by no means connected to my previous Fairy Tail story Searing, Soaring…just to clarify.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail. All rights belong to Hiro Mashima.**

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**Burning, Falling**

A Fairy Tail Fanfiction

The forest fire had been the first sign of what he was feeling. It had started small, but when it finally grew large enough to threaten the outskirts of Magnolia, the master decided enough was enough. Mirajane begged him not to go, to let him work it out on his own. Makarov would have none of it. There were times a man had to work things out on his own, and then there were times he needed guidance.

This time it was the latter. That was why Makarov left the guild and headed for the burning forest. The guild itself, however, remained as it was when he had been there: silent.

Not a single brawl was to be found and every single member was acting all too different from their usual selves.

Cana hadn't had a single drop of liquor all day and was sitting against the wall, staring blankly upward.

Elfman hadn't said "man" once the whole day.

Fried hadn't even given a passing greeting to Laxus (himself giving a broody stare to the drinks behind Mira).

Gajeel was absent and Juvia wasn't fawning over Gray but instead was practically drowning in the rain cloud over her head.

The biggest clincher, though, were the two mages that were sitting around a small table. They both had drinks in their hands, which was an irregularity to begin with. Worse was the damage they had done to the guild hall after…after the ceremony. The entire second floor was frozen over and the pool outside had become a hazard zone, littered with the countless swords that Erza had attacked it with.

Further evidence could be found in their activities after the master left. They didn't move. They didn't talk. The grief was all too real for the both of them. It was the reason they had left Natsu alone for so long, despite everything telling them that they shouldn't. Now it seemed that the dragon slayer had finally let his own grief loose. In fact, Gray could swear that if he strained his ears, he'd hear a dragon's roar piercing the air.

They could only hope that the master would succeed.

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Makarov could have sworn it was like stepping into hell as he entered the forest. Every single tree was burning, its leaves falling to the ground in a pile of ash. Even the ground was scorching with piles of blackened and burned dirt appearing in the shape of footsteps. His family was hurting and he had to fix it somehow.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" Natsu was screaming at the top of his lungs. He kept repeating the same phrase as though it would actually mean something. With each shout, his fist slammed into one of the trees, the fire around it burning brighter for a moment as each hit made its impact.

Makarov watched him for a moment before speaking softly, yet audibly. "Natsu, when are you planning on coming back to the guild?" Perhaps Natsu hadn't heard him, but judging from the hesitation in his next strike, Makarov was almost certain he had. "Everyone is worried about you, you know."

"They don't understand," he said darkly. For the first time in the firelight, the master could see the dark rings around his eyes. Everything about him was slipping into darkness and Makarov knew that was the wrong place to go.

"Of course they do," he replied to the younger mage. "They're feeling the same grief you are. As am I. You know full well that every guild member is like a child of mine."

"You don't get it!" Natsu screamed, his fist finally toppling the tree he had been ripping into. "None of you-"

"Get over yourself, brat!" Makarov finally yelled, putting a complete halt to Natsu's assault. "Do you think you're the first one to lose someone? The entire guild is going through this together, but neither you nor they can heal until you return home."

"But…gramps…" Makarov could swear that Natsu's voice indicated that he was on the verge of tears. The boy's body was shaking violently and after a moment, his knees collapsed under him and he slumped onto the burning forest floor. "Why her?"

"I know. It doesn't make sense," Makarov stated softly. "These things rarely do, but you know she wouldn't have wanted you to forget your friends because of this."

"It was my fault." The words of the master had passed over Natsu's head, but at last Makarov could understand just what was going through the dragon slayer's head. Natsu had finally spoken what was at the core of his grief. "I didn't protect her. I didn't get there in time."

"She wouldn't hold it against you. She was a Fairy tail wizard, and she knew the risks. It's not your fault that we lost-"

"Don't say it! Don't say her name!" Natsu cried. Now, Makarov was certain the boy was crying, despite how unlikely the possibility was.

"This isn't you, Natsu," Makarov said, his feet bringing him across the scorched grass to Natsu's side. "She wouldn't want you to lose yourself this way. She'd want you to remain fearless, just the way she knew you. She'd want you to remember the good times, not this."

"But…" Once more, the boy couldn't find the words, so the master softly patted him on the head, tousling his salmon locks. Natsu shook underneath him and the master was suddenly reminded of the little boy who had snapped at the guild for making fun of his rudimentary reading skills. Rarely had he responded to stress by just breaking down. He would fight until his bones broke and even then he'd push forward.

"Come, Natsu. Let's go back to Fairy Tail," Makarov said. Natsu, seemingly oblivious to the flames and the world around him nodded and stood. Without even a second glance, Natsu began to amble back towards town.

Makarov sighed. Natsu would pull through this, with the help of his friends. But it would take time.

* * *

Natsu hardly realized where he was going, his feet simply dragging underneath him. The fire had gone from him, left behind in the forests outside Magnolia. And now it was starting to rain. The fire dragon slayer looked up to the cloud covered sky and felt the pang of memory hit him.

The memory of that unforgettable day.

_"Remember to take care. They are a dark guild, after all," Erza cautioned them as they saw their most recent targets splitting up ahead of them._

_ "Aw, come on, Erza. They've gotta be easier than Grimoire Heart," Natsu challenged. It was only a brief flicker but he could have sworn he saw a small smile flit across Erza's face. "I'm all fired up!"_

_ "Easy for you to say, Natsu," Lucy said worriedly. "I still remember the Oracion Seis."_

_ "We're a lot stronger than we were then," Gray dismissed. Lucy frowned at him. Beside her, Wendy laughed._

_ "I think we can win," she said confidently with a fist pump. Natsu turned to her with a wide grin on his face, his pointed canines gleaming brilliantly._

_ "See, Wendy knows what I'm talking about!" Wendy wore her own distinct grin as the two gave one another a high five. Lucy shook her head._

_ "Chat time's over," Erza suddenly said. "Let's split up."_

_ "All right! Wendy, look after Lucy for me, all right," Natsu yelled as he and Happy began to run off._

_ Wendy gave him a thumbs up as Lucy yelled, "I can handle myself, Natsu!"_

_ Natsu was too busy smiling and waving to give any response to the miffed blonde. In seconds they were gone from view. Soon after, Natsu had confronted his opponent. It hadn't been a challenge and in mere moments, and a Fire Dragon's Wing Attack later his target was a charred heap that was whimpering loudly. Pleased with himself, and of course the wanton destruction around him, he gave Happy a huge thumbs up._

_ Then he heard the scream. Lucy's scream._

_ Natsu didn't bother to think and instead dashed towards the sound of the screams. He had neared their vicinity when she screamed again, but it sounded different._

_ Natsu burst into the clearing where she was, quickly taking note of the enemy mage in front of him. The man was surprised by his entrance but quickly launched a fire spell at him of immense strength. Natsu quickly gulped it down and let loose a Fire Dragon's Roar that completely incapacitated the man. Having successfully defeated the enemy, he turned back to see what kind of damage had been done to Lucy._

_ She was perfectly fine, however. She stood a small distance away, not a single scratch on her body, and her eyes staring at the ground in horror. Natsu followed Lucy's gaze and felt his heart stop._

_ Wendy was lying on the ground, unmoving. Her blue hair had come out of its usual pigtails and swirled around her, making her look even more like the Sky Sorceress she was rumored to be. Cuts and bruises and burns littered her body, but they didn't look like the usual wounds she and the others could just shrug off. Carla was already at her side, shaking her, hoping that she would get up like she always did._

_ She didn't._

_ "W-Wendy…" Lucy choked out. Natsu ignored her as he dashed to the sky dragon slayer's side. "S-she saved me. She was healing me, when…"_

_ "Come on Wendy, wake up. We won!" Natsu said, plastering a grin across his face. She didn't stir. She didn't even breathe. A slight breeze blew across them, twirling her hair around her, but the young sky dragon slayer still would not move._

_ "N-Natsu…I think-"_

_ "She's fine!" Natsu snapped. Lucy recoiled as Natsu tried to find Wendy's pulse. It had to be there…somewhere…right? But he couldn't find it. There wasn't a trace of life left. _Not her…please, not her…

_The cry started to build in his stomach._ She's just a little girl…she's like my sister…please, not her. _Suddenly it burst forth like a great dragon's roar that shook the heavens. It rattled the trees and reverberated horrifically. She was gone…She couldn't be…but she was…_

_ Wendy Marvell was dead._

Natsu, drawing himself back to the present, slapped himself for remembering. He didn't want to remember. Wendy's death wasn't something he could just punch through and make it all better, because goodness knows that he tried. So, remembering it simply became remembering his failure. Remembering all the things she'd never say or do. It destroyed him.

She would never trip and fall again.

She would never say "I'm sorry" for whatever reason, ever again.

She would never give him another high five.

She would never know what it was like to grow older because of that stupid Acnologia and those stupid lost seven years.

She would never know that Romeo had asked Natsu if he could ask her out, and that Natsu and Gajeel had subsequently put the fear into the boy.

And she would never know what it was like to feel romantic love or to kiss a boy (preferably Romeo, despite his well-intentioned threats).

She could never have another girl's night (whatever those were) with Lucy and Erza.

She could never learn any more from him.

She could never be doted on.

She would no longer smile.

Worst of all, Natsu would never be able to see her face when they found Igneel, Grandine and the other dragons. That thought alone was enough to crush Natsu as the rain continued to cascade over his salmon locks.

He finally looked up and realized where his feet were carrying him: to her grave. Yet he could see that someone was already standing in front of it. Three someones, actually, and judging by their shapes it wasn't hard to tell who. The taller figure seemed to hear his feet sloshing through the puddles because she turned towards him.

"Natsu…" she breathed as he came to a stop in front of her. In the rain, it was difficult to tell, but Natsu swore that there were tears mixed in with the rain on Lucy's face. "I'm sorry…"

"It's okay," Natsu whispered to her. Lucy choked at his words and Natsu took the moment to observe Happy and Carla staring morosely at Wendy's grave.

"It was my fault," she cried out. Natsu was hit with a sense of déjà vu, of himself saying those words just moments ago. "He had been stronger than we knew, and I…I couldn't save her."

"It's not your fault, Lucy." He quickly pulled her into a hug where she did nothing but sob into his vest. He had been speaking the truth, of course. The only person to blame, he now realized, was the one who had killed her. It wasn't their faults, but it didn't make the truth any easier to bear. "Remember what I told you: we're in this together."

"I know…" she sobbed. "It just hurts."

"Yeah," Natsu acknowledged. Acting on impulse, Natsu leaned down and kissed her on the crown of her head. His own tears began spilling out from his eyes, unbidden, falling onto Lucy's blonde hair.

The rain suddenly lightened over Wendy's grave and a chink of blue sky and sun shone upon them. Then, almost like a whisper on the wind, Natsu could have sworn he heard Wendy's voice, speaking to him from the sky.

"I'm sorry, Natsu, but thank you for being my family. I love you."

And somehow, despite the pain and the tears, Natsu smiled. He hugged Lucy closer and whispered quietly, "Yeah, Wendy. I'm all fired up."

It would take time…but they would be okay.

_Fín_

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**Author's Note: I really just wanted to experiment with how everyone would react if Wendy were to die. Were you surprised that it was, in fact, Wendy who had died? I find it's usually Lucy…Anyway, I by no means have anything against Wendy since she's one of my favorite characters between Gray and Lily. I'm also fascinated by the sibling relationship that Natsu and Wendy have (particularly how she learns from him). Anyway, give me a review and let me know your thoughts. If you're wondering whether I plan to return to the Fairy Tail realm in the future, I currently have two multi-chapter AU ideas in my head, but I've yet to commit to one. And for my FMA fans, expect the first chapter of TO FIND A KILLER in two weeks or less. It will be a challenge to juggle all this. In the meantime, Dare to Be Silly.**

**Epicocity**


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